Broken Pieces
by Sealand Rising
Summary: The world of the female nations is sheer anarchy and they desperately search for a way to escape the end of the world.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first story and the main characters will be Fem! Italy, Fem! America and Fem! England. Some of the content may be a little depressing and death is a main theme in the story. There will be violence, suicide, mentions of rape, and death of characters so be warned. Nothing too bad though. I hope you like it and I only own the plot line.**

**All Hetalian Characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya.**

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Broken Pieces

The red-haired girl stood in shock as she stared down at the body lying at her feet. Blood poured from a gun-wound to the head and the girl numbly felt the blood seep into her boots, dying it a dark crimson. All the girl could do was watch the light fade from her friend's eyes and let the tears slide down her face.

"Louise…" She whispered, not bothering to wipe the tears off of her face.

_All my fault._ She thought dully and she sank to her knees in the pool of blood. _If only I hadn't been so weak. Then she wouldn't have felt the need to take her own life._

The door behind her swung open and another girl stood in the doorway, shocked eyes hidden behind a pair of spectacles. In her arms was a small child, about four or five, and the gravity of the situation seemed to have sunk in on her, for the child made no sound. At the sight of the body, the girl dropped the child with a loud thump.

"Louise!" The new girl rushed forward and crouched beside the body, checking desperately for a pulse. After a moment's pause, she bowed her head and turned to the red-head, still frozen in horrified shock. "Daisy?"

The red-head could barely hear her; the shot still ringing in her ears, drowning the girl out. She could feel a small hand on her arm, but she barely registered the touch in her shell-shocked mind. _If only I had been quicker, then I could have stopped her._

"Big sister?" The child asked, looking up at the red-head with large blue eyes. She didn't understand why her other big sister was on the floor and why red paint was coming from her head. Did she spill some while they had been painting?

"Alyss, why don't you go out and play for a while, poppet?" The girl with spectacles suggested and the child ran out of the room, oblivious to the tragedy that had struck. The girl stood and made her way over to the red-head who still hadn't removed her eyes from the gruesome scene.

"Daisy?" The red-head tore her gaze away and looked up at the tender face of the girl who gently nudged her to her feet. "Come, let's wash this blood off."

Daisy allowed herself to be herded from the room and although her back was to the body, she knew that the image of her friend's life bleeding out on the ground would forever remain carved into her mind. She barely felt the water falling onto her body nor did she feel the blood wash out, leaving pink stains on the fabric of her clothing.

"Thank you, Lizzie." Daisy whispered as the girl with spectacles rubbed her red hair with a towel.

"You're welcome." Lizzie smiled and led her to the kitchen, the only room that Louise had refused to frequent. She sat Daisy at the kitchen table and pulled a chair up beside the red-head. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" She said in a gentle voice and Daisy nodded her head slowly, staring blankly at the table in front of her.

"I couldn't stop her." Daisy said, dully. "She said she just couldn't take it anymore so she took the gun and-" A sob cut her off and her restraints on her emotions broke, letting loose all of her grief and guilt.

"It's all my fault." She sobbed and buried her face in her hands. For a moment Lizzie remained silent before she reached over and pulled the sobbing girl into a hug.

"Shush, it's okay." She hushed the red-head and allowed her to cry into her shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is!" Daisy cried, clutching Lizzie's green jacket tightly in her fists. "If I had been stronger than she wouldn't have been burdened with watching over me and having to deal with everything else."

"Daisy, look at me." Lizzie's voice was soft yet it held a tone of command to it. Daisy obliged and looked up into Lizzie's hollow green eyes. The duty of burying their dead friends had fallen on the shoulders of the British girl and the act of placing them to rest so many times had caused her eyes to become heavy and lifeless.

"It's not your fault. None of this is." She motioned outside at the dark sky beyond the window. "Some things you just can't stop from happening. You just have to pick up the broken pieces when it happens."

"How do I pick up the broken pieces?"

"By learning to live without those who are gone." A small spark of her former self flared in Lizzie's eyes and she tucked a loose red hair behind Daisy's ear. "Do me a favor and go play with Alyss please."

"Okay." Daisy hopped down from Lizzie's lap and began to walk out the door before she stopped with her fingers barely brushing the doorknob. "What about Louise?"

"I will take care of her." Lizzie gave the younger Italian a sad smile and wiped her hands on her apron. "Don't worry, she will be laid to rest."

"Thank you, Lizzie." Daisy whispered as she slipped out and shut the door behind her. She looked up at the ceiling and thought she saw an outline of Louise's face in the light reflecting off of the white paint.

_I'm sorry._ She thought as another tear slid down her face. _I'm sorry for not being strong enough to save you. I'm sorry for sapping away at your strength by being helpless and relying on you to protect me when I should have been helping myself. It's all my fault and nothing can change that._

_I'm sorry I couldn't have been stronger for you._


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2 of Broken Pieces! Slight cursing and a couple of minor character deaths. Hope to come out with Chapter 3 soon! I own nothing except the plot line. **

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Ten years had passed since that day and more nations had fallen, leaving a land of chaos and destruction behind. The grim thought was upon everyone's mind as they continued on with their day-to-day business; the world was ending and it was a slow, excruciating death. It brought anarchy and panic to the people of the world; bringing out the dark side of humanity. Daisy had lost count of how many times she had been forced to shoot potential rapists as they broke into Lizzie's house to seek their victims. She knew their mind set; the world was ending, indulge in pleasures before time ran out. It made her sick to her stomach and the once cheerful and happy-to-go Italian turned cold and no tears fell from her dry eyes.

Alyss had grown up from the clueless four year old she had been into a quiet fourteen year old that solemnly spoke unless she had something dire to say. She no longer jumped at the sounds of gunshots that filled the night and she never stepped outside the house, preferring the false sense of security the house emitted. Her childhood innocence had been stolen when she had walked in on a man attempting to rape Lizzie at the age of ten. She had taken a knife and had stabbed him through the heart, standing there in shock as he bled out onto her. It had taken Lizzie an entire day to coax the knife from the girl's hand and to allow the Brit to take the body out of the house (Alyss had been standing watch over the body, staring intently at it with the knife in her hand, waiting for the man to stand up and give her another opening to stab him). Alyss never cried and the two other women in the house wondered if she had any other emotions besides impartial.

Daisy sat at the kitchen table with her boots propped up on the wooden surface, fighting the urge to fall asleep. A large shotgun rested over her lap and her brown military outfit was wrinkled with bits of mud from last night's skirmish dried on the skirt. She blew a piece of dirty red hair out of her face and she checked the gun chamber to see if there was a round in it. She shut it with a satisfying _click_ and prepared her mind for the enviable. She knew they were coming and she was ready with extra handguns hidden under her skirt. She would never let the men hurt her family; they could enter the house, but they would be leaving the house in a body bag.

The front door opened slowly with a loud _creak_. Daisy's eyes narrowed and she stood up, the shotgun at her shoulder and her finger tense on the trigger. _Bang! Bang! Click! Bang! Bang!_ Within thirty seconds, four men lay dead in the foyer, the scent of their blood making Daisy nauseous and pale. She resisted the urge to gag as she sat back down and rubbed her temples. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to take of this.

"Big Sis?" A sleepy voice asked and Daisy raised her head to see Alyss standing in the doorway, not bothered by bodies lying around her.

"Alyss? What are you doing up at this hour?" Daisy asked, looking back at the stove clock that read 1:30 A.M.

"I couldn't sleep and I heard voices outside." Alyss yawned and popped down next to the Italian.

"Really? I thought you would be used to it by now." Daisy said bitterly and Alyss nudged her with an elbow.

"Who put a bee in your bonnet?" She said, borrowing the cliché from one of Lizzie's sayings.

"I'm tired of this." Daisy said curtly and Alyss gave a small start at her words. "I want this to end."

"You're not thinking of-" Alyss said quietly, but Daisy cut her off.

"No! I-I-I just want the dying to stop." Daisy sighed and Alyss patted the Italian's arm in an attempt to comfort her. Ever since she had watched Louise kill herself, Daisy had refused to show any sign of weakness and her resolve was to never have to lean on somebody ever again. Therefore, Alyss had no idea how to act around the emotionless Italian and at times, Daisy intimidated her to the point of silence. "Is there any way to end this?"

"Yes." Both girls jumped at the sound of Lizzie's voice and they reached for their weapons out of habit. Lizzie climbed out of the secret passage behind the fridge and shut the door behind her. She held a book in her hands and a page had been dog-eared for quick reference.

"How?" Alyss asked and Lizzie sunk into a third chair at the kitchen table.

"I found some scientific theory that Sakura had been working on before-"Lizzie paused and swallowed the lump in her throat before continuing. "Anyway, she believed that there was another dimension that was similar to this one, only different to some degrees."

"Different?" Daisy repeated, now intrigued.

"Supposedly, it's not as violent, the world is not ending, and everyone is still alive." At the last part, hope flared in the girls' eyes and their breathing quickened.

"Everyone?" Alyss breathed, a small spark in her eyes. _Sakura and Maddie could still be alive_.

"Yes, only different from how they are…um…were here." Lizzie said quietly and a gloomy silence fell on the trio before Daisy cleared her throat.

"How so?"

"Well, they would be male." The words had an immediate affect on the American and Italian. A rare look of fury flashed across their faces and all the bad memories they had of the opposite sex ran through their minds.

Alyss heaved out a loud sigh and ran a hand through her messy, unwashed hair.

"At the moment, anything is better than this world." She admitted and Daisy glared at her.

"Males!" She hissed and the other two looked over at her with wide eyes. "Are we sure we can trust them."

"They're the male versions of us so if we can trust each other than we can trust them." Alyss pointed out. "Besides, maybe Louise-"

"DON'T MENTION THAT NAME!" Daisy yelled and Alyss instantly fell quiet, her eyes fixed on her hands. Daisy knew that Alyss would pull herself back into her shell whenever something upset her and she would stare off into space. Guilt rose in the Italian and she gave Alyss a quick, apologetic hug.

"What about our countries?" Daisy asked, arms still around the smaller, American girl. "What will we represent if our male counterparts already represent our countries?"

"Um…I don't know exactly." Lizzie admitted and pulled on one of her pigtails. "Sakura's research is not even half-way complete."

The girls sat in silence for a couple minutes as the prospect of escape sunk in. Alyss played with the frayed hems of her bomber jacket while Daisy leaned back and closed her eyes in thought.

"I don't care." Alyss said so softly that Lizzie had to lean forward slightly to hear her. "I don't care if we don't represent anything nor that the others would be males. I-I-I just want to have something of them. I don't care what."

The two girls looked over at Daisy and waited for her decision. Although she wasn't the oldest of the trio, Daisy was unanimously voted the leader of the remaining nations and she took her duty as leader to the letter. If Daisy decided not to go with Lizzie's suggestion then the two girls would remain with the Italian until the world disappeared entirely.

"What's our transportation method?" Daisy asked with her eyes still closed.

"I found this spell when I was clearing out my basement." Lizzie pulled a sheet of paper from her apron pocket and flattened it out on the table. Crude drawings of circles interlocked in the center of the page and underneath the circles was a paragraph in an unfamiliar language. The words shimmered in the kitchen light and the circles seemed to glow with an unusual energy.

"Magic?" Alyss asked, breaking out of her silence.

"Yes. I can teleport us to the other world." Lizzie confirmed and gave the American a small smile.

"How long will it take?" Daisy asked, hazel eyes narrowed at the sheet of paper.

"A couple of days. I have to draw the circle and prepare the spell." Lizzie checked the page and munched on her lip as she thought. "I'd say about two or three."

Daisy scowled and was about to say something when the sound of shattering glass cut her off. She grabbed her shotgun and ran out of the room, leaving the other two to worry and wait for the Italian's return. A minute later, Daisy appeared in the doorway, her gun smoking and sporting a fresh cut on her shoulder.

"Asshole had a knife with him." She sat back down and with a sigh, Lizzie pressed a wet bandage to Daisy's new wound. Every girl was covered in cuts and bruises and scars decorated their skin like tattoos. A new scar was added to their collection almost every day from their daily skirmishes. "Lizzie?"

"Hmm?" The Brit answered as she bandaged Daisy's cut.

"Do it." Lizzie gave a nod and slid her book and paper off the table. She began to walk back into the secret passage when Daisy's voice called her back. "Do it quickly. We're not going to last much longer."

The words sent shivers up Alyss's back and she pulled her knees to her chest in an attempt to comfort herself. She knew that Daisy was right for she could feel the heat of the chaos from her country starting to overcome her.

_Please hurry, Lizzie. We're not going to last much longer._

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The girls stood in the hidden basement of the house, examining the circle before them. Lizzie had green chalk all over her white apron and on her forehead from when she had wiped the sweat from her brow. Daisy and Alyss had ran into a group of drunken men from a trip to the grocery store and had come back with fresh cuts and grim expressions on their faces. Blood ran down Alyss's face from a cut close to her hairline and blood dripped steadily onto the floor from a stab wound to Daisy's thigh, but both girl were used to pain by now and gave no complaint.

The circle and spell had taken Lizzie two days to complete and it was not a moment too soon for vengeance was stalking the streets of London. The friends of the slain men from the grocery store were out for blood and guessing from the screams and roars, the mob was drawing closer.

"We need to go." Daisy said, wiping a drop of blood from her mouth, smearing it across her cheek.

"Okay, get in the middle of circle." The girls complied and Lizzie checked that the door to the basement was locked before joining them. "Are we ready?"

"Just do it already!" Alyss squeaked as something shattered a window above them and the sounds of angry men filled the household.

Lizzie closed her eyes and the circle began to glow, engulfing the girls in a green light. A low hum filled the room and the floor beneath them began to vibrate violently, causing Alyss to lose her balance and fall to the ground on her butt. Their heads began to throb as the floor flickered and slowly turn black.

The door burst open and armed men poured into the room like a roaring waterfall. A gun went off twice and with a cry of pain, Lizzie tumbled backward and out of the circle with her blood splattering across the walls.

"Lizzie!" Alyss screamed and attempted to run to her sister's side, but she found that she had been pinned to the floor by pull of the other world. Pain erupted in her abdomen, but she was too concerned for Lizzie to care at the moment.

"Here!" Lizzie threw her spell book at Alyss and it landed in her lap with a _thud_. "Go!"

"No! Lizzie!" The basement spun in front of Alyss's eyes and she screamed as Lizzie disappeared from her sight.

"I'm sorry." Those were the last words Alyss heard before she hit the hard, stone floor. The book fell from her lap and the American girl stared dully at the spot Lizzie had been a second before.

_No. No. No._ Alyss thought numbly and she felt her heart tighten up in grief. _She can't. She can't be gone._

Tears welled up in Alyss's eyes, but her cheeks stayed dry. She had long forgotten how to cry and all she could do was stare blankly into space. She was so numb that she paid no mind to her surroundings and gave no reaction as an unfamiliar voice came out of the blue;

"Who are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back! Here's Chapter 3 to Broken Pieces. Once again I own nothing, but the story plot. **

**I usually don't like to describe my characters outright in my stories when I'm trying to focus on my plot line so I decided to write their descriptions down for reference. **

**Lizzie- Has long blonde hair that is pulled back into two pigtails, has piercing green eyes, and wears glasses. She wears a green jacket over a dirty, white tank top and black shorts. She has multiple pockets in her jacket where she keeping spells written on scraps of paper to use in case of confrontation. Also keeps a gun strapped to her waist. **

**Daisy- Has auburn hair that is pulled back into a messy ponytail and has fiery hazel eyes. She wears a tan military uniform with a skirt and knee-high boots. She hides her handguns under her skirt and stores extra ammo in her boots.**

**Alyss- Has short dirty, blonde hair and blue eyes. Her bomber jacket is faded and frayed and her hiking boots are usually are covered in mud. She wears a green tube top under her jacket and her jean shorts come to about mid thigh. It is unknown where she conceals her arsenal of knives.**

**By the way, there is swearing, blood, and men getting kicked in the nuts in this chapter. You have been warned!**

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Daisy sat up with a groan and clutched her aching head. Images flashed in the front of her mind with such force that it felt as if she had been hit by a train. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut and wait for the onslaught of memories to end.

"Merda." She swore in Italian and rubbed circles on her throbbing temples._ God that hurt. Why the hell did I agree to this in the first place? Damn it Lizzie! You could have at least given Alyss and I some warning- _(Shit).

A realization jolted through her and she leapt to her feet, ignoring the dagger of pain that stabbed through her head. What happened to her friends? "Lizzie! Alyss!"

Alyss was sitting on her knees with a spell book lying in front of her and was staring off into space, oblivious to the fact that there were men surrounding her on all sides. Holy shit, _men_.

Daisy shot towards her friend and slammed her shoulder into a man with long blonde hair, knocking him to the ground. She then punched another in the gut and kicked a man with glasses in the nuts, causing him to fall to his knees with a gasp of pain. A red-haired man let out a small scream and Daisy, sensing that he was the weakling of the group, wrapped her arm around his neck.

"Get back," She demanded, holding one of her handguns to his temple. "Or he gets his brains blown out."

"Ve!" The red-head began to cry hysterically. "Don't kill me! I'm a virgin! You wouldn't kill a virgin, would you?!"

"Shut-up!" Daisy snarled. "Where the fuck am I?"

"London, England." A man with bushy eyebrows said as he pulled the man with glasses off the floor.

"London? This isn't London." Daisy muttered as she looked around the room. Sunlight streamed in through large windows and Daisy instinctively shrunk away, realizing that she hadn't seen the sun in over fifteen years. A table with eight chairs sat in the middle of the room and guessing by the way the men were dressed, this was a conference room of some type. The man that she was holding captive let out a whimper and she tightened her grip slightly.

"Come on, bella. Let-a me go, please." The man begged. "What did I do?"

"Nothing." Daisy replied while glaring at the other men. "But your kind has done much to my family."

"Your kind?" A man with slicked-back blonde hair asked.

"Males." Daisy said offhandedly, looking for the third member of her group. She looked over at Alyss who still hadn't moved and a horrible feeling of dread crashed over the Italian. "Alyss? Where's Lizzie?"

Alyss gave no answer; she just continued to stare blankly at the floor and her blue eyes were glazed over with shock. Daisy bowed her head and loosened her grip on the red-haired man when she came to the realization of what happened to her friend.

"Lizzie, mi dispiace tanto." She whispered and the man in the head-lock perked up at her words. (I'm so sorry.)

"Oh, you're Italian too." Daisy dropped him and he fell, face-first, onto the floor with a thud. He stood up and gave her a huge smile. "I'm Italian, like you! I'm Feliciano Vargas, the personification of Italy!"

Daisy looked as if she had been stabbed with a knife and she backed away from the man as if he had some contagious disease.

"What's wrong, bella?" Feliciano tilted his head to the side and smiled adorably at her. She scowled in return and crouched down next to Alyss.

The American girl was barely breathing and she didn't even blink as Daisy waved a hand in front of her face. She just looked on ahead with her large, blank eyes and sucked in short, hollow breaths of air when she breathed at all; her mouth slightly agape.

"Alyss?" No response. "Alyss, I know it hurts, but everything is going to be okay." Nothing. Not even a flash of recognition in her eyes. "Please Alyss."

"What wrong with her?" The man with glasses had sat down on Alyss's other side and was looking at her closely.

"Get away!" Daisy struck out at him, missing him by inches, and she pulled Alyss into her chest.

"Sorry! Just trying to help." The man held up his hands in surrender. "You both look like you need it."

Daisy looked down at herself and saw that the stab wound on her leg was still oozing blood onto the clean, wooden floor. Blood dripped from the cut on Alyss's forehead and ran down her face as if it was a replacement for her unshed tears. Their clothing was torn in some places and based on the shocked looks they were receiving from the men, they had noticed the girls' scars.

"I apologize." Daisy said softly. "Men where we come from don't offer help as readily as you do."

"Where we come from?" The man with glasses repeated. "Are you aliens?"

"Um…no." Daisy answered, sort of confused on why that question was asked. "My name is Daisy Vargas."

"That's my last name!" Feliciano cheered and the man with the slicked-back hair whacked him on the head.

"Daisy Vargas," Daisy repeated, ignoring the outburst. "The personification of Italy."

"WHAT?!" Feliciano shrieked and the other nations stared at her in shock. "How?"

"I'll explain in a minute, just let me help my sister." Daisy turned back to Alyss who gave no sign that she had heard the exchange. She tried to pull the American girl to her feet, but Alyss's limbs refused to move.

"Here, let me." The man with glasses scooped her into his arms and sat her in a seat at the conference table. Alyss was unresponsive to his touch and just looked at the table as if she was trying to find a pattern in wooden surface.

"Thank you." Daisy brushed her bangs out of her face and gave a loud sigh.

"So… I come from a parallel universe similar to this one, but the nations are females." She was interrupted by the long blonde who let out a laugh that sounded like; 'Ohonononon'.

"Shut-up, you bloody frog." The man with bushy eyebrows smacked him on the head, giving Daisy an apologetic look.

"But Angleterre, that world sounds like fun."

"It's not." Daisy said curtly and sat on the edge of the table next to Alyss. "The world is slowly disappearing and nations are being killed off by accidents, murder or-"A lump had formed in Daisy's throat and she had to swallow before continuing. "Suicide."

"Worse yet, all the suffering had brought out the worst in humanity. They resort back to their primitive instincts and males roam the streets like animals, motivated by their sexual desires." Daisy scowled and wiped some blood off her cheek with the back of her hand. "We made a portal and came to this other dimension in hope that we could escape our nightmarish reality."

"Oh," The long haired blonde squeaked. "That doesn't sound like fun."

"For a woman, it's hell. For the men of our world, it's their heaven on earth." Daisy said bitterly. "So which countries are you?"

Introductions quickly went around and Daisy found out that the long haired man was France, a large man with a pipe was Russia, the man with glasses was America, another man who looked exactly like America was actually Canada, the man with slicked-back hair was Germany, a dark-haired man was Japan, and the one with bushy eyebrows was Britain. Also known as Francis, Ivan, Alfred, Mathew, Ludwig, Kiku, and Arthur respectively. Daisy could barely look at Arthur and she had turned her back on Ludwig completely, trying not to relive the bad memory.

"Who's she?" Alfred nodded towards Alyss and Daisy gave a small smile at the question.

"Alyss F. Jones, personification of America." Arthur's and Francis's jaws dropped and Alfred gaped at the silent girl in front of him.

"No way. It's impossible for America to be that silent." Arthur declared and the smile died from Daisy's lips.

"She's in shock. We just lost Lizzie on the way over." Alyss flinched at the name and drew in a sharp breath. Daisy picked the book up off the floor and placed it on the table in front of the American girl, in hopes it would help comfort her in some way.

"Lizzie Kirkland, the representative of Britain, was the one who got us here in the first place. She created a magic portal and she was left behind." Daisy felt her heart squeeze and tears welled up in her eyes. She brushed them away and took a deep breath to calm herself. "A mob invaded our house during the spell and Lizzie was shot out of the circle. If the mob hadn't been there, she would have been fine, but now it is more than likely that she has been killed."

"I'm sorry." Arthur said softly and Daisy gave him a small smile.

"Thank you." Daisy looked over at Alyss and noticed that the younger girl had turned pale. Blood still poured from her forehead and she began to tremble violently while her face whitened to the color of burned ash. Daisy leapt down from the table and caught her as she crumbled off the chair. "Alyss!"

"Holy shit! I'll go get a medic!" Alfred raced out of the room and the other nations crowded around the two females.

"Alyss…" Daisy felt the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes and she closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her composure. She knew that a simple forehead cut wouldn't be enough to cause Alyss to faint from blood loss so all of the blood leaking out onto the floor, was coming from another wound. She pulled Alyss's blood-soaked bomber jacket off and found that a bullet had created a massive, bloody gash in the American's side. "You idiot! Why the fuck didn't you mention anything?!"

Alyss blinked up at her and a small smile grew across her face. Alarmed, Daisy pressed the bomber jacket to her wound, trying to prevent the loss of blood, and began swearing in Italian.

"Daisy…" Alyss barely whispered, finally breaking out of her shocked state. "I think I see Maddie."

"Oh fuck no. There is no way in hell you're joining her." Daisy spat. "If you die, I'll drag your sorry ass back."

"Hiya Maddie. I haven't seen you in a while." Alyss grinned and Daisy swore once again, knowing that she was delirious. A wave of fury arose in the Italian and she unleashed it on the nations crowding around her.

"Get back!" She snarled and the nations jumped back in fear.

"Daisy, Maddie wants me to play with her." The words turned Daisy's heart to ice and she noticed that the blood flow was slowing down.

"Stay away from her!"

"But-"

"ALYSS! I swear to God if you fucking go towards your sister, I will kill you! Do you want to die?!"

"N-No."

"Then don't you fucking give up on me. Don't you _ever_ give up on me!"

"I-I won't."

"You better not." Daisy growled. "I am not losing you like Louise."

Alfred rushed back into the conference room, followed by several paramedics. They placed Alyss into a stretcher and raced her out of the room, talking loudly into their walkie-talkies. Daisy was about to follow when a hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. Growling, Daisy turned and found herself looking at a very familiar face. A face that she had been trying hard to forget.

"What do you want, potato bastard?" Daisy wrenched her wrist from Ludwig's grip and scowled at him.

"The paramedics don't need an angry Italian in the ambulance." He said, crossing his arms. Daisy felt fury rise up in her stomach and she tried to resist the urge to punch him in the gut.

"Look German, I don't need your shit. Keep your fucking nose out of my business." Daisy hissed and her male counterpart's eyes grew wide.

"Why are you being mean to Ludwig?" Feliciano protested and Daisy turned her furious gaze on him, causing him to tremble violently.

"I don't waste kindness on cowards." She turned her back on the German, ignoring his dumbstruck expression. She swept Lizzie's book off the table and held it up to her chest. She breathed in its dusty smell and raised her eyes to the ceiling.

"I promise you, she'll live." Daisy whispered and walked out of the conference room, determined to find her little sister. "Both of us will pick up the broken pieces."


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter 4! I don't own anything, but the story line. Hope to come out with chapter 5 soon.**

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Daisy sat in the waiting room of the hospital, nervously bouncing her leg. Alfred was sitting across from her and was watching the Italian with an upraised eyebrow. He had given her a ride to the hospital in order to get her wounds checked out and so that she could be near Alyss. The American man was still slightly confused over this female counterpart business and the short answers Daisy was giving to his questions were not helping.

"So Daisy." He coughed and the Italian looked up. "Why don't you like Germany?"

"It's personal." She said curtly and turned her head away. "I-I-I'd rather not talk about it."

"O-kay…" Alfred said slowly, his mind scanning over the remaining questions he wanted to ask. "So what about Alyss?"

"What about her?" There was a slight warning in Daisy's voice, but Alfred plowed on.

"What's her story?"

"That's none of your-"At that moment, a doctor walked into the room and Daisy immediately fell silent, turning her unnerving gaze on the doctor.

"Mr. Jones?" He said and Alfred gave a nod. "What's your relationship to the girl?"

"Um… Older brother?" Alfred said after a thought.

"And you, miss?" The doctor turned to Daisy with a bored look on his face.

"Older sister." Daisy replied, bristling at the look.

"You two don't look alike." He declared and Daisy had to fight the urge to whack him across the head with one of her handguns. "Anyways, I have good news and bad news."

"The good news is that Alyss made it through the surgery." Daisy leaned back in her chair and waited to hear the bad news, her hands griping the handles of her handguns for comfort. "The bad news is that she is in a coma and is unlikely to come out of it anytime soon."

Daisy's face turned stony and her eyes flashed with rage. Alfred pulled his phone out to let the other nations know the news while Daisy stood, slamming her chair backwards into the wall.

"I want to see her." She said coldly and the doctor waved her through one of the hospital rooms. Daisy walked in and froze, her mouth falling open in shock.

Alyss was lying on the hospital bed, connected to dozens of machines and an oxygen mask was strapped over her nose and mouth. Her chest barely moved as she took in small, shaky breaths and Daisy had to avert her eyes from the mass of bandages wrapped around her abdomen.

Finding that she could move her feet again, Daisy walked towards the bed and pulled a chair up beside her little sister. She brushed a couple of bloody bangs out of Alyss's face and kissed her forehead gently, avoiding the large cut.

"Guarire presto, sorellina." Daisy whispered, gazing tenderly down at the American. (Get well soon, little sister.)

"Wow." Daisy whirled around to see Alfred leaning against the door frame, smiling at her. "That's the first time I've seen you act nice to someone."

"Your point?" Daisy scowled and Alfred pulled up another chair on the other side of Alyss.

"Alyss must mean something to you." He looked over at the Italian who avoided his gaze, choosing instead to keep her eyes fixed on Alyss's face. "Come on, you can tell me about her."

"Maybe." Daisy frowned and ran her fingers along Alyss's arm. She stopped at a frame of small white scars, entwining together like a spider web on the American girl's shoulder. Maybe it was okay for Alfred to know about his counterpart's past. "You see these scars?"

"Yeah." Alfred said, bending over for a closer look.

"Alyss was two years old when she received them. An angry mob set off a bomb outside her house one night and it exploded near a massive window, sending glass everywhere. Alyss was hit in the shoulder by the shards from the window and it gave her this web-like scar." Daisy traced the scars with her fingertips, remembering when Alyss had told her the story about how she got them. She would never forgot the sorrow that came over the girl's face when she recited the next part of the tale. "She would have been killed if Maddie hadn't shielded her with her own body."

"Maddie?" Alfred asked.

"Madeline Williams, personification of Canada." Daisy informed him and his eyes grew wide. "She was four at the time and when the window exploded, she pushed Alyss underneath her. Unfortunately, a glass shard stabbed her through the heart, killing her almost instantly."

"Oh." That was pretty much all that Alfred could say to that.

"Lizzie found Alyss later that day, underneath a massive pile of rubble, her dead sister still on top of her. Maddie continued to shield her younger sister, even in death."

"Lizzie brought Alyss back to her house and I eventually joined them. We all accepted each other and grew to call ourselves family." Daisy finished her tale and reached down to squeeze Alyss's hand in hope that somewhere deep in the coma, the girl would be able to feel her hand.

"That's a sad story, eh?" A Canadian voice sounded behind the Italian, spooking her so much that she yanked one of her handguns out and pointed it at his face. "Don't shoot!" Mathew threw his hands up in surrender and with a sheepish, apologetic smile, Daisy stored her handgun back in its holster.

"Sorry, I'm kind of jumpy." Mathew waved off her apology with a grin and sat down in a chair next to his brother.

"So how is she?" Mathew asked and Alfred let out a sigh.

"She's in a coma." He said softly and Mathew looked down at the girl with pity in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly to Daisy who just shook her head and squeezed Alyss's hand.

"Don't be. Alyss is strong enough to pull through." She let out a small chuckle and the two other nations stared at her with peculiar looks on their faces. "Alyss once killed a man with his own knife when he tried to rape Lizzie. For the next twenty-four hours, she stood over his body, waiting for him to get up and give her another opening for her to stab him again. She's determined and I've seen her take on men twice her side with nothing, but a pocket knife." The men's eyes were wide with surprise at this point and Daisy could not stop a grin from spreading across her face at their reactions. "She's fiercely loyal, tough, and never backs down from a fight. She's practically unstoppable if you give her a knife. "

"How old is she physically?" Mathew asked.

"Fourteen, I think. She's only been around for about fifty years or so."

"I've been around for over two hundred so how-"Alfred began, but Daisy cut him off, knowing what he was going to say.

"Our world has been plagued by wars and the new world wasn't discovered until the 1950's after the Second World War. By the time, America and Canada had been colonized, Maddie had been killed and World War III had erupted. In our world, peace is never around for long." Daisy sighed and pressed her free hand to her forehead, eyes squeezed shut as bad memories shot through her head. What she wouldn't give to forget it all.

The two North American nations remained silent, unsure what to say to the grieving Italian. What do you say to somebody who has lost everything and everyone they ever loved?

"The bleak atmosphere had an effect on Alyss." Daisy opened her eyes and continued her story about the American girl. She didn't know why she was telling two almost complete strangers her sister's life story, but since Alfred was Alyss's male counterpart, Daisy assumed he had a right to know. Also, it felt nice to take the load of her chest and let her guard down for once. "Alyss never smiles and rarely speaks unless she has something important to say. I think she attempts to copy her friend's technique of sensing the mood and refraining from speaking."

"My world is full of tragedy and horrors, but I can honestly say that the saddest thing in my world is watching a child grow so used to the horrors that she doesn't even flinch when gunshots echo around her house." Alyss took in a deep breath and her eyelids flickered slightly. Daisy watched her for a minute before she turned back to the male nations.

"Sorry." She apologized and the men raised an eyebrow at the apology. "I didn't mean to be so depressing."

"It doesn't matter. It feels better to let it all out rather than bottling it up." Mathew gave the Italian a small smile and turned to look at Alyss with tenderness in his eyes. "Thank you for telling us about her."

"Now I just have to hope she won't kill me for it." Daisy muttered and Alfred let out a laugh.

"Hey, dudette." Alfred grinned across the hospital bed at her. "You know, if you ever need somebody to talk to, you've got me and Mattie here."

"Thanks Alfred." Daisy replied and shifted her chair so that she facing Alyss directly. "Do you guys mind giving me and Alyss some time?"

"Sure thing." The North American nations exited the room and Daisy let out a loud sigh.

"Alyss, what am I going to do?" She practically moaned. "Lizzie's gone and you're in a coma. Also, he looks exactly like her." Her voice dropped to a whisper and she glanced around the hospital room to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "I thought that I had gotten over her death, but he brought her memory back to life. I try to forget, but I just can't."

Feeling tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, Daisy wiped them away with her fist. She couldn't show any weakness, that was the first thing that you had to do in order to survive in her world, but she was beginning to lose her grip on her emotions.

"Why can't I forget?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 is out! I'm in the middle of writing chapter 6 so hope to upload it soon. **

* * *

For the next week, Daisy remained by Alyss's side. She refused to leave and the hospital had long given up on trying to kick her out. She sat beside Alyss's bed, eyes narrowed in thought, resisting the temptation to sleep. Daisy was denying herself the luxury of sleep; she would remain awake and watch over her sister until she woke from her coma.

Sighing and shifting slightly to ease the soreness of her butt, Daisy crossed her arms and looked out of the hospital window. The sun was high in the sky and the sounds of the laughter floated up to the hospital room. The hospital was close to a park and Daisy had spent hours reflecting on the differences of her world and this one. Apparently, the sun rose daily here and people here seemed to relish the light and warmth it gave them. In her world, the sky was forever coated with ash from multiple wars and no light shone through the thick atmosphere. Maybe the sun had a role in the happiness of the citizens of this earth.

As Daisy pondered this, the door to the room opened and Alfred poked his head in. The American visited every other day and Daisy found herself slowly accepting his and Mathew's offer of friendship.

"Hey, how's she doing?" He asked and sat down beside the Italian.

"She can finally breathe without the oxygen mask." Daisy replied, keeping her eyes on the sky outside the window. "So I guess that's improvement, but she still hasn't woken up."

"Oh." Alfred said and fell silent. Sensing bad news, Daisy let the silence draw out and turned to look at the American, trying to read his facial features.

"The doctors want to pull the plug." Alfred wore a miserable expression and he looked over at his female counterpart with pity in his eyes. The American girl looked so fragile among all those wires that it was hard to believe that a week ago she had been able to hold her own in multiple fights.

"They what?!" Daisy yelled, forgetting to keep her voice down.

"They want take her off life support."

Daisy's face turned crimson and she struggled against the urge to pull out her guns. Instead she satisfied her anger by punching a nearby wall and bruising her knuckles. Not fully content, she kicked a chair into the opposite wall, enjoying the sound it made when the wood splintered in half. Daisy sunk back down in her chair and buried her face in her hands, her exhaustion finally catching up to her.

"Why?" She asked through her hands.

"Something about a lack of medical insurance."

"Damn it!" Daisy snarled and resisted the urge to slam her fist into the wall again. "Does every world only run on money?!"

"I'm sorry." Alfred apologized, averting his eyes from the furious Italian. "I want to help, but my boss won't let me since I'm still in a recession."

"No, it's fine." Daisy raised her head from her hands and let out a sigh. "Alyss will wake up soon, anyways."

Alfred looked over at the Italian and tried to hide his misgivings. Alyss had been in a coma for over a week and although Daisy insisted she was tough, he doubted that a fourteen year old would be strong to break out of a coma and pull herself through recovery. After all, she had barely survived through the surgery.

Running a hand through his hair, Alfred studied Alyss carefully. She was the female version of him so wouldn't that mean she had the same superhuman strength and will power? What if the harsh environment of her world had sapped at her will and after losing Lizzie, Alyss no longer wanted to live?

Daisy glanced over at the American man and a frown grew on her face. Alfred looked conflicted and although, the Italian was grateful to him, she was starting to get pissed off by his lack of trust in Alyss's abilities.

"Do not doubt my sister." She said, anger clear in her tone. Alfred looked up in surprise and opened his mouth to speak, but Daisy cut him off. "She will pull through. Injuries haven't stopped her before and they won't stop her now."

Alfred just gave her a nod and turned his gaze away from Daisy, scared of angering the Italian again. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before a sudden knock on the door sent Daisy into defense mode. Unfortunately, when the knocker walked into the room, they were greeted by two guns pointing at their chest.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Feliciano screamed and threw his hands up in surrender. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm too young to die!"

"Shut-up, Fratello!" Another man walked into the room with a scowl on his face. "What the fuck are you screaming about-AHHHHHHHH!"

Rolling her eyes, Daisy stowed her handguns back in their holsters and crossed her arms. Alfred was laughing hysterically behind her while the two men hugged each other and began begging her for mercy.

"Don't kill us! We'll tell you everything we know which is everything we know!" Feliciano cried.

"I'm not going to kill you!" Daisy shouted, becoming frustrated when the screaming didn't die down.

"You wouldn't kill virgins would you?! Where do you think they get virgin olive oil from?!" The man hugging Feliciano wailed and Daisy resisted the urge to slam her palm into her forehead.

"SHUT-UP!" Daisy yelled, finally losing her temper and the two men fell silent. Their lower lips trembled and they stared fearfully at Daisy who in return gave them a glare so dark that it almost sent them back into hysterias.

"Who the hell are you and why are you here?" Daisy asked, turning her gaze on the new man who was still clutching Feliciano tightly. He flinched and opened his mouth to reply, but the male version of Italy cut him off.

"He's my fratello." Feliciano beamed at Daisy, calm now that the guns were out of sight. "He's Italy Romano."

"You can call me Lovino, though." The man offered and Daisy clenched her fists as unwanted memories flashed in the front of her mind.

"Okay Lovino, why are you two here?" Daisy crossed her arms and sat back down in her seat, next to a still giggling Alfred.

"Fratello dragged me over to meet you." Lovino scowled. "He mentioned that you were the female version of him or some shit like that."

"Yeah, I am." Daisy confirmed, narrowing her eyes slightly. "You wouldn't happen to be Southern Italy would you?"

"Yeah," Lovino glared at Daisy. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No." Daisy said curtly, studying him carefully through narrow eyes. Lovino was starting to feel uncomfortable under her steady gaze and he had to resist the urge to start cussing her out.

"What are you looking at-"Lovino began, but he was cut off by the sound of the door banging open and a happy call of his name.

"Oh Lovi." Another man bounced into the room and immediately jumped on to the angry Italian's back.

"What! Spain, you idiot! Get the fuck off of me!" Lovino shrieked, squirming violently in an attempt to break out of the Spaniard's grip. "Antonio, let-a me go!"

"But Lovi, you're so huggable!" Antonio protested, but after Lovino had smacked him across the head and had escaped, he turned to Daisy.

"Hola chica! You must be the Daisy girl I have been hearing about." Antonio beamed at the Italian girl who raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "You're very pretty!"

"Um… thanks?" Daisy replied uncertainly and turned her gaze towards Feliciano. "Did you bring anyone else?"

"Ve? Oh, you mean Big Brother France, Prussia, and Germany!" Feliciano cheered, giving Daisy a bright smile.

"WHAT! YOU BROUGHT THAT POTATO BASTARD!" Lovino and Daisy yelled at the same time, causing Feliciano to shrink back from the explosion of noise.

"I did! Please don't hurt me!" Lovino looked like he was about to explode while Daisy resorted to glowering at her male counterpart.

"You fucking idiot-" Lovino began to yell, but Antonio jumped on him from behind and the Italian turned his fury on the clueless Spaniard.

"Damn it!" Daisy swore as she kicked another chair into the wall, instantly quieting the room. Feliciano blinked open his eyes in surprise while Antonio and Lovino ceased their arguing to stare at Daisy. Alfred was opening his mouth to say something when a loud, obnoxious laugh cut him off.

"Kesesese that was some unawesome display, frau." Daisy kept her back to the door and continued to glare at the broken chair in front of her.

"Not in the mood, Gillian, not in the mood." Daisy snapped, still facing the chair.

"Gillian?" The new voice asked, confused, and Daisy spun around to see an albino man standing in the doorway, smirking at her. "My name is Gilbert, not Gillian."

"Fuck!" Daisy began to bang her head against the wall and Lovino shouted insults at the albino while Antonio held him back.

"Dude, Prussia! Why are you here?!" Alfred shouted over Lovino's screams.

"I wanted to see the girls West kept talking about!" Gilbert walked into the room and waved at Antonio. "Wassup, Toni?!"

"Hola amigo!" Antonio waved back, accidentally letting go of Lovino who took this opportunity to rush at the albino. Antonio quickly tackled the enraged Italian to the ground and Lovino began cussing at the Spaniard in a mixture of Italian, Spanish, and English.

"Ohonononon" Francis had appeared in the room and jumped onto Feliciano, pulling him into a hug. "Hello, my little Italy!"

"Big Brother France, it's great to see you!" Feliciano said, oblivious to the fact that Francis was secretly groping him.

"Get off me, Tomato Bastard!"

"But Lovi"

"Ve! Pasta!"

"Ohonononon**∼.**"

"I'm awesomer than all of you guys!"

"No way! I'm the hero!"

"PASTA!"

"EVERYONE SHUT-UP!" Ludwig marched into the room and immediately everyone fell silent except for Daisy who continued to bang her head against the wall.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." She muttered as her forehead met the wall.

"Daisy, what are you doing?" Ludwig asked, frowning. "You'll hurt yourself."

A dagger of pain stabbed itself into Daisy's mind and she froze with her head pressed against the wall. An unwelcome memory shoved its way to the front of her mind and Daisy could do nothing as she was sucked back into the past.

* * *

_"Daisy, what are you doing?! You'll hurt yourself!" A tall blonde yelled as Daisy played with one of the new handguns she had gotten for her birthday._

_"But Louise, I know how to use a gun!" Daisy protested, pointing the gun at a glass vase. "My sorella taught me!" At that moment, the gun went off and a hole appeared in the wall beyond the vase, at least three feet off target. _

_"Ooppsies." Daisy giggled nervously while Louise smacked herself on the forehead, muttering angrily to herself in German._

_"You idiot." Louise attempted to keep her face stern, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "That's not how you shoot a gun."_

_The German girl stepped behind the Italian and adjusted the way Daisy was grasping the gun. Louise kept her hands under Daisy's arms to help her point the gun at the vase and guide her into the correct position of firing. Daisy could feel the German's breath on her exposed neck and a shiver ran up her spine at how close they were._

_The gun went off and the vase shattered, spilling shards of glass all over the floor. Daisy remained frozen in her position as Louise removed her hands from the Italian's arms. They brushed against Daisy's shoulders and fell down her side to rest at the Italian's hips._

_"You know, you can put the gun down now." Louise whispered and Daisy blushed, dropping her arms and she took a step away from the German nation. _

_"Thanks for teaching me how to shoot the guns you got me!" Daisy beamed and threw her arms around Louise's neck. "You're a good friend!"_

* * *

Daisy blinked back to reality and looked around at her surroundings in confusion. Her guns were out in her hands and she was pointing them at two different people. One was aimed at Gilbert who looked as if he had frozen in mid-step while the other was rested against the forehead of Ludwig. Somehow she had gotten from the other end of the room to the door and had managed to knock the powerful German to the ground.

"Louise?" She asked in confusion, her thoughts still muddled in the past.

"Louise?" Ludwig repeated, his blue eyes flashing with nervousness.

"Damn it." She swore and in one swift motion, she was off of the stunned German and her guns were back in their holsters under her skirt. She numbly walked towards Alyss and tried to avoid all eye contact with any of the males. The flashback had happened without warning and Daisy was terrified of what she had found when she broke out of the memory. Was this the first sign of insanity?

"Get out." She said, keeping her back to the German she had almost killed.

"What-" Ludwig began.

"I said, GET OUT!" Daisy yelled with her back still to the German.

Ludwig shut his mouth and turned on his heel, slamming the door shut behind him. Daisy collapsed in a chair beside Alyss's bed and buried her head in her hands, trying to ignore the silence.

A hand was placed on her shoulder and Daisy lifted her head from her hands to meet the cheerful eyes of Feliciano. He gave her a grin and patted her shoulder.

"I know you don't like us bella, but we made you something." At this, a large bowl was shoved into her lap and Daisy looked down at it, eyes watering up with sadness and gratitude. The bowl was filled with ornaments made of pasta and on the top were the words 'Welcome to Our World' carved out of long pasta noodles.

"My fratello and I made it." Feliciano smiled as Lovino walked over to stand next to his brother. "We just wanted to make you feel welcome." Daisy said nothing as she placed the bowl on Alyss's bedside table. She threw her arms around the two Italian nations and pulled them into a hug, ignoring their startled yelps.

"Thank you." Daisy whispered and after a couple minutes, the men returned her hug. The sweet moment lasted for a couple of seconds before a certain Spaniard jumped on Lovino (causing him to break out into a cursing rant) and an American slammed into Daisy's back, knocking the group to the ground. Francis and Gilbert soon followed and a massive heap of wriggling nations was created on the floor.

"Get off!" Daisy yelped, but on the inside she was laughing. The men around her were so similar to Daisy's deceased friends that their personalities and appearances were almost exactly alike. It reminded Daisy of the time when her friends were still alive and nations hadn't started dying yet. Strangely, although the realization tore her heart apart, it also made happiness course through her veins like her heart was pumping warmth throughout her body. The last time she could remember being happy was on her birthday when she was with Louise.

The arms around Daisy felt so secure that for a spilt second she was back in the other world with all her old friends surrounding her, joking and laughing with one another. A small crystal tear dropped from Daisy's lashes and fell down her cheek, almost invisible to the naked eye. Neither Daisy nor any of the boys saw the tear; only a certain blonde man watching from the doorway, noticed it.


	6. Chapter 6

**This has been sitting on my computer for weeks and I meant to publish it long before now, but I just never found the time for it. Sorry for the late update and here's Chapter 6.**

**Here's a list of the nations' names in case you don't know who's who in Hetalia;**

**Feliciano: Italy**

**Lovino: Romano**

**Alfred: America**

**Arthur: Britain**

**Mathew: Canada**

**Antonio: Spain**

**Daisy: Fem Italy**

**Alyss: Fem America**

**Lizzie: Fem Britain**

* * *

"Pasta! Pasta! Pas-" Feliciano let out a yelp of pain as Lovino kicked his shin. Rubbing his shin, the Italian pouted at his brother who scowled in return and jerked his head at Daisy. The girl had finally fallen asleep after a ten day vigil and she was leaning back in her chair, her head facing the ceiling. As much as the boys wanted to talk to her, Feliciano, Lovino, Alfred, Mathew, Arthur, and Antonio were terrified of waking her. Especially after she muttered a death threat in her sleep about a large gun, a barrel of flammable liquids and a stale piece of cheese.

"Why are we here again?" Alfred whispered to Arthur who shot him a disapproving look.

"Maybe because Alyss is your female counterpart and is practically your little sister?" Arthur hissed. "Unless of course you have more important things to do like shove your fat face with hamburgers."

"I know that!" Alfred said, sounding hurt. "But why are you here?"

"Your reports aren't exactly helpful when trying to determine the state of the girls. All you gave me was a bunch of illegible sentences describing how an idiot believes he is a hero." Arthur crossed his arms and turned his gaze onto the girls. "Since I was curious about them, I decided I would pay them a visit and see if they were who they said they were."

"Eh? They're the female versions of us." Mathew said, finally tuning into the conversation.

"So they say," Arthur whispered and the two North American nations leaned in to hear his words. "But we have no evidence to confirm that they are the female representations of America and Italy. What if they were lying?"

"What if I hit you across the head with a spell book to smack some sense into you?" Daisy suddenly spoke up, causing the nations to jump. She still had her eyes shut and her arms were crossed over her chest. "I know who I am and so does Alyss."

"Really?" Arthur said, raising one of his bushy eyebrows in disbelief. "Sorry if we don't believe you. Perhaps you can offer proof?"

"Dude! There's no-" Alfred protested, but Daisy raised a hand to silence him. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the Brit and her expression was completely void of all emotions.

"What kind of proof?" She asked quietly.

"Do you know something that only Italy would know? Something you never told anyone?" Arthur clarified, ignoring the confused look Feliciano sent him.

"Something only Italy would know." Daisy said softly, sorting through her memories. She pulled up several that she had never told anyone (mostly because they were embarrassing), but she didn't know if Feliciano had done the same things. One memory, a very old one that she had long forgotten, suddenly popped into the front of her mind and although she tried to push it away, the memory kept coming back.

"Alright, fine." Daisy sighed, brushing some of her loose red hair behind her ears. "Back when I was living with Mrs. Austria, there was this girl who always watched me and her cheeks always appeared to be sunburned. Her name was the Holy Roman Empire."

"Holy Rome was a boy." Feliciano protested and Daisy glared at him, efficiently shutting the Italian up.

"In my world the genders are the opposite! In case you haven't noticed, I'm female, you're male and we're the same fucking country." Daisy snarled, causing Lovino to let out a snort of laughter at his brother's stunned face.

"Anyways, Holy Rome, like all the other idiots in that household, thought I was a boy. She sort of developed a crush on me and tried to make my living conditions better, since Austria was a stuck-up jackass."

"Tell me about it." Antonio snorted while Arthur nodded.

"Holy Rome always looked after me, but one day she had to leave for a war." Daisy continued, turning her head away from the boys and stared out the window. "Before she left, I saw her. She told me she was sorry for everything and that I didn't have to be afraid anymore." A sad smile played across her lips and Daisy closed her eyes, trying to picture her childhood friend. "Truthfully, I never was afraid."

"She said she had to go away and I begged her to not to go, but she refused to stay. I couldn't convince her so I gave her my push broom to remember me by and she-" Here Daisy blushed so red that she resembled a ripe tomato. Feliciano's eyes were wide at this point and he was opening and closing his mouth in shock, looking like a gaping fish. "Um… gave me something to remember her by."

"What?! You guys had sex?!" Alfred yelled, receiving a smack behind the head from Arthur and a glare from both Mathew and Daisy.

"No, you idiot! She still thought I was a dude and so did I until I found out you don't grow a veiner-veeny thing when you get older." Daisy muttered and all the boys raised an eyebrow at the last part. "Anyways, she promised she would come back and I promised I would be waiting with lots of treats. And that's it."

"That's it?!" Alfred cried, jolting up in his chair. "What happened afterwards?"

"Nothing." Daisy shrugged. "I waited, she never came back and eventually I gave up. Some stories don't have a happy ending."

"Well, is that enough proof for you?" Daisy said, snapping her head around to glare at Arthur. "Or do you need more?"

"No, I think we're good." Arthur replied, glancing over at Feliciano who gave the Brit a small nod before turning away. Although the Italian tried to shield his face away, Daisy could see the tears glistening in his eyes. She felt guilty for bringing the subject up, but it was the only thing that she could think of that would prove beyond a doubt that she was Italy.

A small knock on the door brought Daisy out of her thoughts and she looked up to see a doctor standing in the middle of the doorway. All the boys looked at him with confusion while dread filled Daisy and her heart skipped a beat.

"Miss Vargas?" He asked, looking at his clipboard.

"Yes?" Daisy said, already knowing what was going to come out of the doctor's mouth.

"It's time." The doctor gave Daisy a sad smile. "We'll give you a moment."

"Thank you." The doctor left and all the boys whirled on Daisy who had her head bowed.

"What did he mean that 'it's time'?" Mathew asked, surprised at how defeated the tough Italian girl looked. "Daisy?"

"It's time to pull the plug." Daisy whispered, raising her head just a little to look over at Alyss. The American girl was still so pale and all the wires attached to her body made her appear fragile like a porcelain doll. Tearing her gaze away, Daisy stood and walked over to her little sister. She reached down and brushed some hair out of Alyss's face, revealing the slightly faded scar on her forehead.

"What do you mean?" Mathew said, rising in alarm. Alfred gave him a sad look and Daisy kept her back to the Canadian, wanting to hide her tears.

"They're going to take her off of life support." Alfred replied and Mathew whirled on Daisy, fury blazing in his blue eyes.

"What?!" He screeched. "You're giving up on her?"

"No." Daisy said, still with her back to Mathew. "I never give up on family, but there's a certain point where you just can't do anything." She bent over and placed a gentle kiss on Alyss's brow. "It's up to Alyss, if she wants to wake up then she will." Daisy straightened herself and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, gazing down at her adopted sister. It pained the Italian more than she would have liked to admit, knowing that there was nothing she could do. Nothing, but place her faith in Alyss's abilities and hope for a miracle.

"Alyss…" She whispered, fighting to keep her voice steady. "Alyss, please, wake up. You have to wake up."

Alyss gave no sign that she heard Daisy deep down in her coma and the Italian turned away, her heart heavy with sorrow. She walked out of the room and nodded to the doctor who was waiting out in the hall. The male nations filed out after her and watched as the doctor closed the door behind him. Mathew's eyes were still burning, but he keep his mouth shut much to Daisy's relief.

The Italian was leaning her forehead on her arm against the hospital wall and she was taking deep breaths in an attempt to avoid bursting into tears. She had to remain strong and not broadcast her emotions, but it was getting harder and harder to stop the tears from falling. Alyss was the only family Daisy had left and even though they weren't genetically related, both girls shared a deep connection. A connection that was slowly killing Daisy from the inside out as she prepared for the plug to be pulled on Alyss's life.

"Daisy?" A hand was placed on her shoulder and the Italian looked back to see her male counterpart. "Are you okay?" Feliciano asked, worry shining in his eyes.

"Do you want a sarcastic answer or a truthful one?" Daisy muttered and Feliciano tilted his head in confusion, irking the Italian girl. "No, what do you think you-"

"MMMMMMMMM-AAAHHHHH!" A muffled scream came from the room and everyone in the hallway turned to stare at the door. "WHAT THE CRAPOLA?!"

"Please miss, if you would just calm down-" The doctor pleaded, but a loud thud cut him off and the sound of a body slumping to the ground followed.

"WHY THE HELL WAS THERE A PIPE IN MY MOUTH?!" Another scream came from the room and Daisy turned around, her expression both shocked and hopeful. "SERIOUSLY LIZZIE?! YOU WOULD STOOP THAT LOW INTO MAKING ME EAT YOUR SCONES BY SHOVING A PIPE DOWN MY THROAT?! REALLY?!"

"Daisy? Is that Alyss?" Alfred asked, backing slowly away from the door.

Daisy was beaming by now and laughter was bubbling up in her like a hot spring. She pushed past all of the male counterparts and threw open the door. Sheets and wires were thrown all across the floor and the doctor was laying in the middle of the room with a food pipe coiled on his head. The blonde girl was standing next to the hospital bed and was struggling fiercely to free herself from a mass of wires that attached her body to various machines. Alyss's blue eyes were flashing with determination and occasional curse words flew from her lips.

"Who attached fucking wires to my body? That is so rude! Seriously, what the fuck did I do to deserve this?" Alyss muttered, as she pulled a clump of wires in an attempt to rip them from the machines. "If this is some stupid prank that Lizzie pulled on me, I'll- IS THAT A NEEDLE?! HOLY SHIT, THERE'S A NEEDLE IN MY ARM! TAKE IT OUT! TAKE IT OUT! TAKE IT OUT!"

"Alyss!" Daisy yelled over the American girl's screams. The girl froze and she slowly turned around, her eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Daisy, why is there a needle in my arm?" Alyss asked, her tone neutral and calm compared to her earlier screaming.

"Alyss!" Daisy yelled again, tears of happiness falling from her eyes. She lunged at the American and drew her into a back-breaking hug. "You're awake!"

"Or having a really painful dream." Alyss gasped, her face turning a light shade of blue. "Daisy, I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry." Daisy dropped Alyss and the American girl bent over, trying to regain lost air. "How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

"Just my ribs." Alyss replied, straightening up and looking at Daisy with her brow furrowed. "Where are we?"

"In a hospital room." Daisy replied, gesturing to the mess around her.

"What happened?" Alyss asked, doing a full three-sixty turn to look around the room. "I mean, what happened to me?"

The smile dropped from Daisy's lips and she shifted her weight onto one leg, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. She was dreading informing Alyss about the last week and she was terrified that once Alyss knew about what happened to Lizzie, she would retreat back into her shell and maybe never come back out.

"Daisy? What happened?" Alyss repeated, her voice laced with suspicion.

"You were shot." Daisy sighed, pulling her loose bangs back behind her ear. "You barely made it through surgery and you've been in a coma for the past week."

Alyss's eyes grew wide and she slowly pulled up her tube top to reveal her stomach. A large cut ran straight across her stomach and black stitches stuck out against her white skin like coal amongst snow. Alyss stared at it, shock adorning her features and memories of the events last week flashed through her blue eyes.

"Lizzie…" Alyss whispered, raising her eyes from her stomach to Daisy's face. "She's really gone?"

"Yes." Daisy said, reaching for her little sister and wrapping her arms around her. Alyss buried her head in the Italian's shoulder while Daisy stroked her blonde hair, gazing down at the American girl with tender hazel eyes. Their sweet moment lasted for about a minute before the door slamming open separated them and male nations flooded the room.

"Ciao, bella! We're happy you're awake!" Feliciano beamed at Alyss who shrunk back. "We were afraid you were going to die!"

"Um… thanks?" Alyss replied, stepping back to stand by Daisy's side. "Who are you?"

"I'm Feliciano Vargas! I'm Italy!" Feliciano bounced up and down, grinning broadly.

"No way, you're not Italy." Alyss stated, looking back and forth between Daisy and her male counterpart. "Italy is not supposed to be so um… jumpy?" _Nor very happy, nor annoying, and definitely not so positive._

"Si, I'm Italy." Feliciano said while Daisy let out a sigh and pressed one of her palms to her forehead.

"As much as I would like to say otherwise, that's me." Daisy confirmed and Alyss raised an eyebrow at the response.

"If that's so then I shudder to imagine what my male counterpart is like." Alyss muttered just before she was jumped on from behind by a very excited American.

"Hey dudette!" Alfred grinned, giving Alyss a tight hug from behind. "I'm Alfred F. Jones, otherwise known as America!"

"I think the world just ended." Alyss wheezed, struggling to free herself from Alfred's clutches. "My personal space is being invaded by a male."

"It's so awesome that you're finally awake!" Alfred grinned, squeezing Alyss tightly. "You can become my sidekick and we can eat hamburgers together!"

"W-W-What?" Alyss stammered and thrashed her legs in another attempt to loosen Alfred's grip.

"You wanker, why on earth would she want to be your sidekick?" Arthur snapped and Alfred turned his head around to glare at his former caretaker.

"Why wouldn't she? Is there something wrong with me?" Alfred demanded and thus began one of their infamous fights.

Alyss tried to free herself while the two men argued and her face was slowly turning red from a lack of oxygen. With her lungs screaming for air, Alyss desperately searched for a way to escape without harming her so called 'male counterpart' even though her hands were itching to grab one of her knives and slash her way out. Inspiration struck Alyss like a lightning bolt and she swung both her legs up at the same time, creating enough momentum to twist out of Alfred's arms and flip backwards over his head. Landing on her feet behind Alfred, Alyss subconsciously yanked her knives out and unwittingly sent the Italian brother into hysterias.

Feeling cornered and overwhelmed with the amount of noise, Alyss made a break towards the door, shoving past Antonio and sliding between Daisy's legs when the Italian tried to block the door. Leaping to her feet, Alyss slammed the door shut behind her and began to run down the hallway of the hospital, desperately trying to find a way out of the unfamiliar building.

"Alyss!" Daisy yelled, kicking the door open and chasing after her sister, ignoring the male nations' confused shouts. "Wait!"

Letting Daisy's yells fall on deaf ears, Alyss focused on her stiff limbs, willing them to move faster. Even though she had been in a coma for a week, Alyss could feel her muscles warming up and accelerating until she was almost flying down the hall, the world blurred to her eyes. Something blonde flashed in the corner of her left eye, but Alyss paid no mind to it, the thrill of running coursing her veins.

Each of female counterparts had a special gift or ability, some come naturally while others had to be developed over years of practice. Lizzie had been able to perform high feats of magic while Daisy excelled in hand to hand combat. As for Alyss, the American girl was born with the odd ability to exceed speeds of 35 miles per hour and her limbs were naturally more flexible than humanly possible. Alyss loved to run and push her body to the limit; running cleared her mind and it was the only time she ever felt free.

Sprinting down the hall, Daisy chased after Alyss, cursing the American girl's talent for running. Although faster than most humans, Daisy was still slow compared to Alyss and she hated it whenever her sister took off when she was spooked. As Daisy rounded a corner, she slammed into something hard and she stumbled backwards, arms waving in circles to regain her balance. Looking up at what she ran into, Daisy cursed when she saw that it had been her least favorite German, Ludwig.

"You!" She snarled, skidding around him. "What are you- oh, never mind!" Daisy picked up her speed again and yelled over her shoulder back at a confused Ludwig. "Don't think this is over!"

Alyss, meanwhile, had made it out the hospital's front doors and was weaving through what she believed to be called 'cars'. The sounds, sights, and smells of the new world were overpowering and Alyss soon found herself running blind, her eyes squeezed shut to block out light coming from the 'sun', something Alyss once believed had only been a part of myths. Refusing to stop, Alyss continued her dash away from the hospital, the sounds of blaring horns getting louder and louder as she continued.

"ALYSS!" The American girl stopped at the sound of her name, blinking her eyes open to look back at Daisy who was catching up to her. The Italian's face was filled with fear and when she had screamed Alyss's name, terror had been threaded in the very sound.

"Move!" Daisy yelled, the sounds of vehicles rushing on the highway behind Alyss almost drowning her out. "Alyss, move!"

The sound of thunder suddenly came from behind Alyss and the American girl turned around slowly, blue eyes wide as a large truck bared down upon her. Feeling as if her feet were rooted into the ground, Alyss stood there in shock, unable to process what was going on.

Just as the truck was about to reach her, hands wrapped around her chest and yanked her back with a mighty pull. The truck drove past and Alyss fell backwards, arms wrapped tightly around her chest. Landing on something soft, Alyss remained frozen for a couple of seconds before she found she could breathe again.

"Alyss? Are you okay?" Daisy asked, tightening her grip on Alyss slightly, hugging the American girl to her chest. "Alyss!"

"Fine, I'm fine." Alyss answered, staring at the highway in front of them. "What was that?"

"A truck." Daisy answered, pulling Alyss to her feet and patting the dust off their clothing. "It's a bigger version of a car and it can kill you."

"Or break a lot of bones." Alyss commented, brushing some of her bangs out of her face. Hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders and Alyss was jerked around, coming face to face with a furious Italian.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Daisy shouted, shaking Alyss violently. "We don't know what this world is like and you can be seriously injured or killed if you ever run off like that again!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Alyss squeaked, her brain rattling in her skull. "I won't do it again!"

"You better not." Daisy pulled Alyss to her chest and hugged her tightly, resting her cheek against the top of Alyss's head. "I almost lost you once, I don't ever want to almost lose you again."

"I'm sorry." Alyss apologized again, mumbling into Daisy's shoulder. "It's just… just… so confusing."

"I know." Daisy whispered, rubbing Alyss's back. "But we'll be okay."

"Promise?" Alyss murmured and Daisy let out a small laughter.

"Promise." Grabbing Alyss's hand, Daisy gently pulled the American girl away from the highway and back towards the hospital, ignoring the nagging doubt in the back of her mind. Would they ever be truly okay? The new world was strange and unfamiliar so navigating it would prove to be a challenge. And what about Lizzie? Would they ever be okay without her?

Pushing these doubts away, Daisy gently grasped Alyss's hand and led her back into the hospital. Doubting was not an option, she had to believe they would be okay. She had to.


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, school's started up again and I've been extremely busy so I haven't found anytime to upload this before now. Once again sorry for the late update.**

**I've also been working on other stories that I hope to upload soon. Don't worry, I have every intention of continuing this fanfic though.**

**So Chapter 7 is going to have several foreshadows that you probably won't understand until later chapters are posted. **

**'All shall be revealed later on' (I forgot where that quote came from)**

**Anyways, enjoy! **

* * *

Alyss sat in the waiting room of the hospital, watching Daisy argue with the doctor over whether or not to release her. Feeling bored, Alyss swung her legs back and forth, tracing her legs' scraps and scars with her eyes. Daisy and the doctor had been at it for the past fifteen minutes and Alyss could tell that Daisy was inches away from whacking the doctor across the head with one of her hand guns. The Italian never really was one for patience.

Humming an old English tune, Alyss's thoughts turned to Lizzie. The Brit had always been there for Alyss, doing everything in her power to make the American girl's childhood as normal as she possibly could. Whenever there was a quiet night in London, Lizzie would take a young Alyss out to a nearby park for an hour and played with her. The park visits stopped when the riots and murders got worse, but Alyss could still remember the feelings of joy she got when Lizzie pushed her on the swings. It was hard to accept that she was gone.

"That's it!" Daisy yelled, spinning around so that her ponytail whacked the doctor across the face. "We're walking out."

Alyss hopped to her feet and followed the furious Italian, subconsciously suppressing the urge to smile at how Daisy muttered curses in Old Italian. Alyss couldn't remember the last time she smiled, it was almost as if she had forgotten how to smile long ago. In her world there was rarely an occasion where a smile would have been appropriate, but even then her lips would remain still. She could feel amusement and happiness, but she just didn't know how to express it. Maybe she just hadn't found the right situation where she could express her feelings with a smile.

"Alyss! Hurry up!" Daisy called over her shoulder, hazel eyes flashing with irritation. "The sooner we get out the better, hospitals make me sick."

"Ironically since you're supposed to be rid of sickness here." Alyss muttered, jamming her hands into her bomber jacket pockets.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Daisy responded distractingly, grabbing Alyss's attention.

"What's up?" Alyss asked, picking up her pace to walk beside the Italian. Having grown up with Daisy, Alyss knew enough about the Italian to know when she had something on her mind.

"Louise." Daisy whispered the taboo name and Alyss froze for a minute before she recovered and continued walking beside her sister. "Her male counterpart keeps showing up and whenever he does, I see her. I see her lying her pool of blood and I get so angry."

"At who? Louise or yourself?" Alyss asked, instantly regretting the words when they left her mouth. Like her male counterpart, Alyss had a bit of an issue filtering what came out of her mouth and more than once she had to run away from an angry Brit or Italian whenever she slipped up.

"I-I-I don't- you know what? Forget it." Daisy hugged herself around her chest and let some of her loose bangs fall forward to cover her face.

"Daisy, you can't keep denying the past." Alyss said, a small part of her screaming for her to drop the subject already. "Louise is dead."

"Forget it." Daisy said in a low voice, her tone warning.

"You have to get over it, you can't stay mad forever-"

"FORGET IT!" Daisy yelled, whirling around and facing Alyss with an expression of a cornered, angry lion. Her eyes were watery and her face was red with anger, fury radiated from her like sunlight. Jumping backwards, Alyss instinctively dropped in a defensive crouch and stared back at Daisy with wide eyes, a knife clutched tightly in each hand. Daisy glared at her sister for a minute before she took a step back and her eyes cleared.

"Alyss, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" Daisy began, but Alyss cut her off with an upraised hand.

"It's okay, I shouldn't have pushed." Alyss sheathed her knives and together the two girls continued walking down the hallway, an awkward silence between them like a large brick wall.

They eventually reached the front doors of the museum and Alyss, this time cautiously, pushed open the door and peeked outside. The sun was blinding and Alyss shrunk back slightly, only to feel Daisy's hand on her shoulder. Looking back, Alyss blinked in confusion at Daisy and the Italian in return gave her an encouraging smile.

"It's just the sun," Daisy said, pushing past Alyss and pulling her through the door. "It's over 92 million away so it can't attack you."

"But it can give you sunburns, heat strokes, and skin cancer." Alyss chirped, squinting in the bright English sun.

"Since when did you know so much about the sun?" Daisy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I read a health magazine while you were arguing with the doctor." Alyss waved the question away with a dismissive hand.

"Well, that's weird." A sudden British voice popped up, spooking the girls and causing them to pull out their weapons. Arthur was leaning against the hospital wall with the rest of the male nations, smirking at them. "Usually Americans hate to read."

"What are you doing here?" Daisy asked, sheathing her guns and crossing her arms. "I thought you all left."

"We never got to meet Alyss properly." Alfred piped up, grinning like a child at Christmas. "Besides, I want to get to know the female me."

"Well, you can get to know her some other time." Daisy grabbed Alyss's hand and began pulling her away, irritation starting to course through her veins again.

"Wait!" Feliciano cried, chasing after them and blocking their way. "Where are you going?"

"Dunno," Daisy shrugged. "Haven't thought about that."

"Why don't you come with us?" Feliciano suggested, pleading with his large hazel eyes. "There's a world meeting coming up."

"So?" Daisy asked, pushing past her male counterpart. "Been to a couple of those, they never end productively."

"You can come," Alfred offered, walking forward to stand beside Feliciano. "You guys are countries after all."

"Not in this world." Daisy replied, turning back to glare at the American man. "You two are America and Italy, we're just another version of America and Italy."

"Yep, I'm a massive barbecue pit and Daisy is the next Atlantis." Alyss said with a perfectly straight face, making all the male nations look over at her with peculiar faces.

"Barbecue pit?" Alfred asked.

"It's nothing," Daisy replied giving Alyss a scowl who in turn mockingly saluted her back. "Just Alyss being Alyss."

"Someone I am proud of being." Alyss raised an eyebrow and cocked one of her hips out.

"Oh shut-up, I don't need your sass." Daisy smacked Alyss behind the head and the American girl took a couple of steps away, rubbing the back of her head. "Anyways, it was nice to meet you all, but Alyss and I are leaving now." Jerking her head, Daisy motioned for Alyss to continue walking. They made it about half way through the parking lot when Alfred suddenly called out.

"It's in America, just FYI."

Alyss stopped in her tracks and her eyes grew wide as the information sunk in. Her heart started to pound in excitement and hope rose in her as she turned around to look back at Alfred.

"It's in America?" She asked, trying to prevent her voice from squeaking with excitement.

"Yeah! Wanna come?" Alfred said with a grin, knowing that he was close to convincing his counterpart to come with him. "It's being held in Washington D.C."

Alyss whirled on Daisy, her baby blue eyes pleading. Feeling uncomfortable, Daisy tried to look away, but she could feel the American's gaze on her face. The gaze seemed to set Daisy on fire and the Italian began to sweat profusely under her clothes. _Resist… Resist… Resist…_

"Alright!" Daisy yelled, putting her hands out and gently pushing Alyss away from her. "Fine, we'll go, just stop with the puppy eyes!"

"What puppy eyes?" Alyss asked, her lips twitching. She turned around and walked back to the male nations with a fuming Daisy on her tail. "When do we leave?"

* * *

Watching Alyss run around the Smithsonian, Daisy let out a small sigh and brushed some of her loose hair behind her ear. The airplane ride from London to Washington D.C. had been hell with Alyss grabbing Daisy's arm at the smallest of turbulence and Alfred's loud snoring. The American had given them a ride on his private plane and although Daisy had been grateful for the transportation, her ears were unappreciative of the chainsaw noise that came from Alfred's mouth.

"Daisy! You have got to come and see this!" Alyss called, turning around and waving Daisy over. The Italian walked over to the excited American, taking a moment to look around and admire the exhibits around her. They were in the National Museum of American History and Daisy was completely blown away by the amount of history Alfred had created in less than three hundred years. Alyss had been a toddler during the World Wars and compared to Alfred's history, her life story looked as short as the regular mortals.

"Look Daisy," Alyss pointed at a large white statue of a man sitting in a chair, wearing some sort of toga. A Latin inscription was written underneath the statue and it took Daisy a couple of seconds to translate the old words into modern day English.

"George Washington." Daisy read, peering closely at the inscription. "He was the first president of the United States and was the commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War."

"I had a Revolutionary War?" Alyss exclaimed, her eyes shining. "That's awesome!" For a moment it appeared as if she was about to smile, but then her expression turned sad and the excitement in her eyes faded. "I mean, Alfred had a Revolutionary War. I don't have a history."

"Alyss…" Daisy began, startled at how quickly Alyss's mood changed. She was about to say something comforting, but at that moment a very loud man crashed into the museum and ran over to them.

"Hey guys!" Alfred grinned. "I have finally arrived to you a personal tour of the awesome history of me!"

"Um…okay, that's not egotistic at all." Alyss said, but Alfred flung an arm around her shoulders, causing a squeak to pop out of her. "Touching me!"

"Come on, it'll be fun." Alfred dragged Alyss away while Daisy watched with a slight smile playing on her lips. The two Americans were polar opposites of each other and Alyss was slightly cold and sarcastic towards her male counterpart. Alfred, however, refused to be chased away and was trying extremely hard to get the cold American girl to warm up. Daisy hoped that he would be able to get Alyss to open up her shell and maybe even get her to smile.

Looking back at George Washington, Daisy clasped her hands in front of her and sighed. Alyss had been such an innocent and happy child, but as she grew, a wall was built up around her. The wall was still to this day standing tall and strong and Daisy suspected that Lizzie's death had only reinforced the wall. Maybe Alfred could help break down the wall and teach Alyss how open up to the world around her.

Glancing over at the two Americans, Daisy noticed that Alyss was getting flustered by the amount of noise that was engulfing her and her hands were twitching. Recognizing that someone was about to be skewered, Daisy walked over to her little sister. By the time she got to Alyss, the American girl had gotten into an argument with the elevator button and the Italian had to pull her sister away from the elevator doors and out of the museum. Daisy really didn't want to stick around for security to arrive and give them an awkward explanation on why the elevator had massive cuts in the metal doors. Besides, they had a world meeting to go to.

* * *

Alyss bounced around the reception room of the UN building, her excitement barely containable by her usual stony expression. She kept glancing at the clock hanging on the wall, impatient for the meeting to start. This would be her first world meeting and although Daisy had informed her that the meeting would be boring as one of Lizzie's history lessons, Alyss could not help but feel as if she was able to explode with anticipation.

"Alyss, if you bounced any higher you're going to make a hole in the ceiling." Daisy commented, a smile stretching across her face.

"No I won't." Alyss retorted, bouncing over the sofa and landing next to Daisy. "I know how to contain my excitement."

"Well, you're failing at it right now." Daisy turned away and was walking towards the water fountain when she heard Alyss muttering.

"Like you fail at driving."

"BITCH! YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!"

Alfred and Mathew were walking up to the reception room at that very moment and as they entered the room, they were greeted by a fleeing Alyss and a very angry Italian. Flying past them, Alyss slammed the door shut behind her and the sounds of running feet accompanied her shrieks down the hallway.

"Um… are we interrupting something?" Mathew asked timidly as Daisy threw open the door to scream something along the lines of 'Yeah, you better run' and 'The next time I see you, I'm gonna kick your ass'.

"Nope," Daisy huffed, shutting the door and turning to the confused Canadian. "This is what normally happens whenever Alyss blurts something offensive without thinking first. She doesn't have a filter."

"Sounds like somebody I know." Mathew muttered, glancing at his younger brother who was staring up at the ceiling with an oblivious expression on his face.

"Must be a common trait in Americans." Daisy agreed, smirking slightly.

"Oh, hello to you all." Arthur walked into the reception room with a stack of papers in his arms. He set them down at the coffee table and when he straightened up, a loud crack was heard, causing giggles to come from the three other nations in the room.

"Britain dude, you must be getting old." Alfred giggled, making Arthur's face turn deep red and a long rant of British curse words fell from his mouth. The Brit jumped on top of his former charge and wrestled him to the ground, causing Mathew and Daisy to double over with laughter.

Alyss, meanwhile, was running down the slippery halls of the UN building, paying no mind to where she was going. She wasn't convinced that Daisy had stopped chasing after her yet and she wasn't planning on heading back until she was positive that Daisy wouldn't try and kill her. The Italian usually held grudges and was very sensitive about her driving skills, so Alyss was probably screwed for the rest of the day. Maybe she could find a tree or something to hide in.

"Ugh!" As Alyss rounded the corner, a familiar shape flashed out of the corner of her eye and she slammed something hard, an alarmed cry following the collision. Papers fluttered to the ground and arms locked around the girl as she fell forward. Something soft cushioned her fall and Alyss laid still for a couple of minutes, dazed by the impact. Muttering angrily to herself, Alyss sat up and came face to face with a pair of large hazel eyes.

"Whoa! Personal space invasion." Alyss yelped, scrambling off of the person she had fallen on. It was a man about a couple of years older than her and with raven hair that came to his chin, an aura of serenity and silence surrounding him. Alyss's eyes widened as he stood up and collected the fallen papers he had dropped, he looked so familiar that the very sight of him drove a hot knife of grief into Alyss's heart.

"Sakura." She whispered, curling her fists as unpleasant memories flashed in front of her eyes.

"I beg your pardon?" The man asked, looking up at Alyss with raised eyebrows. "Are you Alyss, America's female version?"

"Y-Yeah." Alyss muttered, her eyes unblinking as she continued to study the man. Eventually the man cleared his throat and Alyss blinked, a blush spreading across her face. "Sorry for knocking you over."

"It's alright, I should have been watching where I was going." The man straightened his tie and hugged his stack of papers to his chest. "My name is Kiku Honda, more commonly known as Japan."

Upon his words, lights flashed before Alyss's eyes and she was transported back to the past, her deeply buried memories digging their way out of the grave she had buried them in.

* * *

_A smaller Alyss was sitting in a field of flowers, reaching out with clumsy hands to stroke the light colored petals gently. A song was flowing from her closed lips and a rare smile was seen upon the girl's face. It wasn't often that Alyss left the security of Lizzie's house to enjoy the outside world, but today was different._

_Earlier in the day, Alyss had been struck by an overwhelming sense of sadness and tears had begun to leak out of her eyes. Confused and slightly scared, Alyss had ran away from the house and had stumbled upon a field of flowers, untouched by the human pollution. Somehow the flowers calmed her and the small girl had spontaneously decided to stay in the field, allowing the sadness to fade away._

_"Violet eyes, shining in the gloom. Lost childhood, innocence's tomb." Alyss sang, peeling off the petals of a white carnation. "Ashes falling from the sky, a glass window's broken eye."_

_Lifting her face from the flower, Alyss smiled up at the sky, unaware of the morbid words flowing from her mouth. The sky was a lighter gray than usual and if Alyss narrowed her eyes to small slits, she could just barely see specks of blue among the clouds of ash._

_"Dirty tears, face of remorse. Fading life, Death's worn course." Closing her eyes, Alyss rolled the carnation's stem in between her fingers. She had no idea what she singing, nor did she know why she was singing it. The words just flowed out of her mouth._

_"Dragged away, a last lullaby. A whisper, a cry, goodbye." Alyss ended the song with a small whisper and a tear rolled down her face, landing on the carnation. _

_"That was a pretty song." A voice suddenly spoke up and Alyss whirled around to see a girl in a lavender kimono standing behind her. The girl's black hair was out of place in field of light colored flowers and the smile on her face looked slightly unnatural. Feeling uncomfortable, Alyss hugged the carnation to her chest and stared down at the grass below her._

_"My name is Sakura Honda, more commonly known as Japan." The girl smiled, sitting down beside Alyss. "Would you like to be my friend?" _

_Alyss remained silent for a minute before looking up at Sakura and a word tumbled out of her mouth;_

_"Okay."_

* * *

"Alyss-san, are you okay?" Alyss's eyes snapped open and she returned to reality, her head throbbing slightly. Kiku was staring at her with a frown on his face, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Y-Yeah, fine." Alyss mumbled, backing away from the Japanese man. "Nice meeting you!" She yelped, sprinting away and leaving Kiku in a cloud of dust.

With tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, Alyss raced back towards the recreation room, willingly running towards Daisy's wrath. She would rather face the angry Italian rather than risking falling back into another memory. She just wanted to forget about a certain Japanese girl, she wanted to forget everything; every happy, sad, and grieving memory about a lost friendship.

* * *

**By the way, that's a real statue in the National Museum of American History. It's called ****_George Washington _****by Horatio Greenough. Apparently people of the 19th century thought that a half-nude Washington was offensive and it had to be removed from the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.**

**Just a little history-tidbit**


End file.
